Jan Gomola

Jan Gomola
Birth:	20 March 1916 Dolní Lomná, Moravia-Silesia, Austria-Hungary (now Czech Republic)
Death:	25 June 2021 Zabreh, Olomouc Region, Czech Republic
Age:	105 years, 97 days
Country:	CZE
Centenarian

Jan Gomola (20 March 1916 – 25 June 2021) was a Czech centenarian who was the oldest known living man in Czech Republic at the time of his death.

Biography

Jan Gomola was born in the village of Dolní Lomná, Frýdek-Místek District, Moravian-Silesian Region, Austria-Hungary (now Czech Republic) on 20 March 1916 and comes from a very poor religious family. Although the family was officially Polish, its members actually felt Czech. When the Czech school was founded in Dolní Lomná in 1922, Jan became its first pupil. In 1938 Těšínsko was occupied by the Pols and he went to seek work in Berlin. He made his living as an interior painter. He got his working permit, based on which he was sent to the German army. As its member he travelled through France, then was sent to the Russian front. He took part in the Moscow march, survived many battles and his artillery unit got all the way to the sea of Azov. He spent four years at the Russian front and only had four holidays during that period, when he could go back home for three weeks. During retreating from the Red army in 1945, when his unit went past his home land, he secretly came back home. For fighting in Wehrmacht he encountered much hate and bullying after return home. After war he lived in a deep poverty and almost marginalized. In 1950s he moved to Ostrava and until pension he worked as a miner. He wrote a book on his travels through the Soviet Union called I found Katyn.

In March 2016, he celebrated his 100th birthday and became a centenarian. Following the death of 107-year-old Anonymous man, at the beginning of June 2021, he became the oldest known living man in Czech Republic.

Jan Gomola died in Zabreh, Olomouc Region, Czech Republic on 25 June 2021 at the age of 105 years, 97 days. Following his death, then 104-year-old Eduard Marek became the oldest living man in the Czech Republic.

Gallery

On his 105th birthday in 2021

References

• Další kniha o katyňském masakru a nejen o něm ČT24 - Česká televize, 18 May 2009
• Oslavy 103.narozenin pan Jana Gomoly POLAR, 26 March 2019
• Muž z Ostravy slaví dnes 105 let. Je jedním z nejstarších obyvatel Česka Moravskoslezský deník, 20 March 2021
• Jan Gomola (1916–2021) Obituary, 25 June 2021

Czech Republic's Oldest Living Man Titleholders (V • E)

Ludvik Petruj • Alois Vocasek • Julius Kubelka • Stanislav Vecera • Dusan Kalok • Josef Flandera • Gabriel Miksa • Karel Kasparek • Jan Nitka • Stanislav Spacil • Martin Kahun • Cenek Petrik • Jiri Vysoudil • Anonymous • Anonymous • Jan Gomola • Eduard Marek • Karel Lavacek • Anonymous